Laetare Sunday, The Fourth
Sunday in Lent, 2013
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The Hymn # 151 Christ the Life 2:78
The Confession
of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The
Gospel
Glory be to
Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #429 Lord Thee
I Love 2:54
The Miraculous Abundance
The Communion
Hymn #311 Huss Hymn 2:79
The Preface p.
24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn # 45 Now the
Hour 2:95
KJV Galatians 4:21 Tell me,
ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? 22 For it is
written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a
freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh;
but he of the freewoman was by promise. 24 Which things are an allegory:
for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth
to bondage, which is Agar. 25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and
answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26
But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27 For it
is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry,
thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she
which hath an husband. 28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of
promise. 29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that
was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 30 Nevertheless what
saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the
bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 31 So then,
brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.
KJV John 6:1 After these
things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.
2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he
did on them that were diseased. 3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there
he sat with his disciples. 4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. 5
When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto
him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? 6 And
this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip
answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that
every one of them may take a little. 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon
Peter's brother, saith unto him, 9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley
loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? 10 And Jesus
said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men
sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when
he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them
that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. 12 When
they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that
remain, that nothing be lost. 13 Therefore they gathered them together,
and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which
remained over and above unto them that had eaten. 14 Then those men, when they
had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that
should come into the world. 15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would
come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a
mountain himself alone.
Fourth Sunday in Lent
Lord God, heavenly Father,
who by Thy Son didst feed five thousand men in the desert with five loaves and
two fishes: We beseech Thee to abide graciously also with us in the fullness of
Thy blessing. Preserve us from avarice and the cares of this life, that we may
seek first Thy kingdom and Thy righteousness, and in all things perceive Thy
fatherly goodness, through Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and
the Holy Ghost, one true God world without end. Amen.
The Miraculous Abundance
John 6:12 When they were
filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that
nothing be lost.
Lenski:
Without telling us in so many words, John presents Jesus at
the height of his Galilean ministry. And there was following him a great
multitude, because they were beholding the signs he was doing upon those that
were sick. The three imperfect tenses picture Jesus in the full exercise of
his activity at this period, including, of course, the present crossing of the
Sea. The statement that the crowds were attracted by “beholding the signs he
was doing” is intended to parallel 2:23 and to show that in general the
situation here in Galilee was a duplication of the previous one which occurred
in Jerusalem. Not the teaching but merely the signs were the great attraction.
This John wants us to bear in mind for the sake of what follows.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The
Interpretation of St. John's Gospel. Minneapolis, MN : Augsburg Publishing
House, 1961, S. 428.
There is so much in this
Gospel lesson, in just a few verses. This was the peak of Jesus’ ministry, a
time when vast numbers of people knew about His miracles and others were there
(on pilgrimage) to share in them.
Many people followed because
of their curiosity, wanting to be thrilled by a miracle or shown proof for the
claims about Jesus. Many believed in Him and came to Him.
Some were miracle followers,
because this was the best show in town. No one should wonder that Jesus’
teaching often went right past them. The entire Gospel message is meant for
believers, not for curiosity seekers.
Many churches are organized
for this curiosity seeker today. They promise miracles or material gain. Since
people are looking for a show, the sponsors provide a circus for them. Nothing
is ever enough, so one fad leads to another, and the displays become more
ridiculous all the time.
The other group would be the
Word-seekers. They were hungry for the Word of God, and they were satisfied.
Jesus confirmed the absolute authority of the Word with the miracles He
performed. They also showed the scope of His power – power over all of
Creation, from changing water into wine, to stilling the storm, To walking on
water, to multiplying the loaves. Raising the dead was the miracle beyond all
the rest. But in each case, they showed divine power used to emphasize
something about Jesus’ ministry and purpose.
Not everyone who saw this
miracle became a long-term follower. “This is a hard saying” and many of His
disciples fell away. It is ironic that they rejected the Word of God at the
most important time, when Jesus was teaching them the way to forgiveness of
sins and eternal life.
4 And the passover, a
feast of the Jews, was nigh. 5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and
saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy
bread, that these may eat? 6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew
what he would do.
Jesus knew what He would do.
The long distance travel among the followers and the newly arrived pilgrims
meant that everyone was hungry and out of food. One of the first lessons of
dessert survival is having enough water and food to keep the body functioning.
By waiting until dark, Jesus
forced the issue, instead of sending them home early to get their own food.
The first thing was to get
bad ideas out in the open, to serve as a future lesson for the apostles and for
us. If everything had gone smoothly we would have nothing to study and
consider.
Many times people find fault
with the methods Jesus used to teach all of us, as if the whole matter should
have been handled better (by the critic of the moment).
7 Philip answered him,
Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of
them may take a little. 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother,
saith unto him, 9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two
small fishes: but what are they among so many?
The finance committee,
always the Bad News Bears, have a quick meeting and decide that there is not
enough to take care of the enormous crowd. The vote is two to zero – it cannot
be done.
This is a good miracle for
congregations and for individuals. Believers do not doubt the truth of the
Word, but it is often difficult to see God’s plan in the murky and twisted
world caused by sin, greed, and false doctrine.
False teachers seem to
prosper and endure beyond all human understanding. In contrast, the orthodox
find themselves battered and bruised by everything. As Luther once observed, “Even
the weather is against them.”
There is additional irony in
this, because people who have an abundance of undeserved good fortune take it
for granted or as a sign they richly deserve it. Thus they often waste the most
obvious opportunities for good because they are so busy consuming the luxuries
they have.
Gibbon said about the Roman
Empire in decline, “They used and abused their luxuries.”
So, at the start of any
deliberation in a congregation, people say, “It cannot be done.” And it is good
when all human reason says, “That is true.” And yet, in faith, many have begun
the task and found miraculous returns.
10 And Jesus said, Make the
men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in
number about five thousand.
Jesus planned this in advance.
The people arrived in a place with fresh water – much grass in this place. So
it was an oasis, comfortable for resting. The men sat down in ranks (see the
other accounts), which made it possible to pass the food through the crowd.
Where there are food riots, people stampede the few who are close to the food.
Many die and most is wasted.
This pre-figures the Last Supper
and its continuance as Holy Communion, but it is not exactly the same as the
Eucharist. The lesson we get from this miracle is the divine possibility of doing
so much with so little. Human reason says, “Communion must be symbolic because
there was only so much then and it cannot expand over the centuries. A nice
practice, but what is this among so many?”
11 And Jesus took the
loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the
disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as
they would.
Because the loaves and fish
make up the meal, the main point of the lesson is about God providing beyond all
human reason.
Luther:
3. That he now takes the five loaves and gives thanks etc.,
teaches that nothing is too small and insignificant for him to do for his
followers, and he can indeed so bless their pittance that they have an
abundance, whereas even the rich have not enough with all their riches; as
Psalm 34:11 says: “They that seek Jehovah shall not want any good thing; but
the rich must suffer hunger.” And Mary in her song of praise says: “The hungry he
hath filled with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.” Luke 1:53.
America’s lack of gratitude for the protection
of God and the peace He has given us – not to mention the prosperity – all this
has served to throw it all away with bad schemes, oppression, and loss of blessings.
12 When they were filled,
he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing
be lost.
Someone can find many allegorical
meanings in this lesson, as Luther did in the sermon republished on the blog.
But we should start with the
obvious. The people had to travel back and needed some food along the way. The
baskets served as their extra food along the way and showed that God’s
blessings should not be wasted.
The concept of frugality has
been lost, as if spending more money gets better results. That has meant a
clamoring for the rich while neglecting the ordinary church member, the one
with a few loaves and fish.
These donations form the
basis of what God does in a miraculous way. And it comes it many ways – some technical
knowledge (broadcast), some art (Biblical graphics), some music (singing), and some
financing from gifts.
More irony comes from
comments that say, “You are nothing. You are too small. You do not count.” But
if that were so, they would not need to say it does not matter. Obviously, it
does.
Quotations
"Nothing in the world so effectively hinders
faith as mammon, or riches, on the one hand and poverty on the other. He
who is rich and has something simply ignores God's Word and treads it
underfoot. So the Gospel speaks of those who are invited to the
great supper but 'cannot' attend because of their acre, oxen, wife, etc. (Luke
14) He who is poor does everything that pleases the devil and the
world in order to stave off poverty."
What
Luther Says, ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing
House, 1959, I, p. 435. John 6:1‑15; Luke
14.
"How does it happen that
although all of us are certainly Christians, or at least want to be such, we do
not take this attitude of unconcern and neither comfort ourselves with abundance
and surpolus nor are frightened by want and by worrying about it? For
if we faithfully and devotedly cling to God's Word, there shall be no
want. Christ takes care of us, and from this it must follow
that we shall have something
to eat."
What
Luther Says, I, p. 436.
Children
"Children are the most
delightful pledges of a loving marriage. They are the best wool on
the sheep."
What
Luther Says, I, p. 137.
"We should deal with
children in such a way that they do not fear their parents, but that they know
that they are offending God if they do not fear their parents."
What
Luther Says, I, p. 142.
"Chastize them when they
deserve it, but accompany the correction with affectionate words so that they
do not become dis-heartened and expect nothing good from you. It is
very bad if a son loves someone else more than his father. The father should
give some sort of proof that there is no in-tention entirely to crush the
child. The Law alone serves no good purpose; in fact, it is
intolerable."
What
Luther Says, I, p. 142. 1533, Ephesians
6:4.
The
Small Catechism
P: Thou shalt not
covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his
cattle, nor anything that is thy neighbor's. What does this mean?
C: We should fear
and love God that we may not estrange, force, or entice away from our neighbor
his wife, servants, or cattle, but urge them to stay and do their duty.
P: What does God
say of all these commandments?
C: He says
thus: I, the Lord, thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity
of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them
that hate Me, and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me and keep My
commandments.
